Philips MMS 5150

Performance

The Philips MMS 5150 is a decent piece, especially for the market it's targeted at. However, when we ran our audio test tracks and 5.1 surround tests, we encountered a problem. The MMS 5150 wouldn't work as a surround however hard I tried; the sub-woofer would just not fire while the other speakers worked fine.

Even after changing sound cards it didn't work, so finally we gave up and connected it onboard. Well surprisingly it worked fine after tweaking the onboard HD Realtek Audio Control Panel. This onboard solution is seen on more or less all motherboards these days. The tweak used was LFE enable (Lower Frequency Enhance).

Considering that these speakers could also be used along with a DVD/DivX player, I connected it to a Philips DVD/DivX player. But again the woofer wouldn't fire. Since none of this was working, we decided to run the surround test in both modes and draw conclusions with the speakers connected to the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 Platinum.

With the MMS 5150 in 5.1 surround mode, the movie clips we played had the sound directed perfectly and it was good, except that the bass was missing. In stereo mode when we played the same video clip, the sound direction was pretty decent but not all that enjoyable as you'd expect from a 5.1 system.

Apart from the surround, in the audio test the MMS 5150 was decent. The highs and mids were pretty sharp and the large speaker driver was able to handle them well. On the other hand the sub-woofer was pretty poor.

At lower volumes the sub sounded good but on increasing the volume the bass was lost. The sub just couldn't handle it, the bass would send the sub-woofer driver vibrating so much that the vibrations could be heard aloud, which was irritating. I suggest if at all you plan on buying these speakers use it at low volumes or else it will just spoil the sound experience.

Conclusion

The Philips MMS 5150 sells for Rs.3,699 with a 1- year warranty. The speakers system is well-priced and as I'd mentioned at the start of this review, it will surely appeal to anyone who just wants a 5.1 surround. Unfortunately the MMS 5150 didn't work as a 5.1 because no matter what we tried the sub-woofer wouldn't fire in 5.1 mode. But in stereo mode the speakers did provide some decent surround.

I really wouldn't suggest the MMS 5150 as there are better 2.1 choices like the ATP3 from Altec Lansing. They work as a 2.1 and provide an output that's more encapsulating than the MMS 5150. Finally I'd say you can pick the Philips MMS 5150 just for the sake of the surround and not for true 5.1 channel audio.